Merry Easter, Internet

We've reached the time of year where people who live in the Northern hemisphere start posting pictures of their gardens and their Easter decorations and their pastel nail polishes and--well, you get the picture.

I, on the other hand, live in the most frozen portion of the frozen north. It's been only a few degrees above freezing, as gray and cloudy as a chinchilla stole. It snowed yesterday. The only thing blooming in my garden is the snowdrops. As spring flowers go, they are a dispiriting bunch. What with one thing and another, a girl could get depressed.

If you're not careful, life can be one giant chocolate rabbit after another.

And yet I continue to maintain my Pollyanna attitude. Why? Well, I'll tell you.

1. On one of the most cheerless of the recent series of cheerless days, I decided to try my sample of Fracas. It is every bit as LEGEND--wait for it--DARY as everyone says. And this in spite of the fact that my sample doesn't spray properly. A bouquet of flowers hasn't punched me in the face like this in years. I'm going to buy some.

2. My very slight tiptoeing into Korean skincare is actually showing results. My skin looks brighter. My face and neck are the same color. My eyelashes are longer. (I chalk that last up to their being especially well moisturized, due to my religious double-cleansing and twice-daily use of eye cream.)

3. I am no longer a combination talent agent/long haul trucker, which is my humorous way of alluding to the fact that my daughter has finished her college auditions.

4. This leaves me with a certain amount of free time, which I am devoting to doctors' appointments. I know, big fun!  

Not my spring break.

"Hey Poppy, what did you do for spring break?" "I got a mammogram!" But it needed to be done.

5. I had to get a chest X-ray because that's what kick-ass kidney cancer survivors do. My doctor's office called, and my lungs are fine.

6. Best of all, I had my mammogram today. Yes, I'm going there.

My American readers might be aware that like me, the state of Michigan has an extra land mass up north.

Well, so do my breasts. My "breast" tissue extends well into my armpits. Getting a good, thorough shot of that extra tissue involves more than the usual amount of pinching, squeezing, and general discomfort. So. I'm really glad that's OVER.

7. After all my ranting, I decided to give my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette another try. See, I learned on YouTube that it's possible to mix eyeshadow colors. I'm sure you're all rolling your eyes and being all "Well, duh," but it had never occurred to me. For some reason, I mix cream and liquid makeup with abandon. The back of my left hand becomes my palette, and foundation and concealers and cream rouge and luminizers get combined like crazy. But it never occurred to me that I could lighten an eyeshadow shade by loading the brush with a lighter shade, then dipping it into the shade that is too dark.

Yeah, that's kind of obvious.

But it doesn't mean I've become some crazy fan of that palette, because honestly, when you buy the 64-shade box of Crayolas, you shouldn't have to mix shades.

But I'm wearing some shades from the palette at the moment, and they look OK.

Goosie and I hope you have a happy Easter.